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Personal exhibition “DANAIA” – photo report
Valencia, Spain Vasyl Byk: “I was definitely very lucky to show the series of my works “Danaia” at the HELEN RITZ GALLERY in Valencia, especially to reveal the erotic culture of Ukrainian women to the Spanish audience during their Las Fallas fire festival. This holiday combines two elements, fire and water, male and female energy, that primordial cross of horizontal and vertical that sustains and perpetuates life on Earth. The holiday takes place every year in March, which is the beginning of spring field work after winter, for almost all people, and has a sacred meaning, awakening and rebirth of life”.
Our Vyshyvanka is traditionally filled with symbols of rebirth, the cross in a rhombus occupies a significant place in it, especially on the embroidery elements of wedding bed covers. So our women sat on them as queens, princesses and virgins. On the days of the Las Fallas holiday, the women of Valencia bloom with all the colors of the rainbow, so one gets the impression of an endless horizon of love, contemplating this action. The exhibition is extended until April 14, 2023. Helen Ritz Gallery, C/ de Quart, 10, Valencia
Link to the photo report
SCULPTURE EXHIBITION AT “HELEN RITZ GALLERY” FROM MARCH 10TH!
24/7 VALENCIA: Could you tell us more about this new exhibition that is for a good cause concerning Ukrania?
HELEN RITZ GALLERY: “Sculptures by Vasyl Byk are created to be able to go around them and see, and also, which is important, to touch them and to feel them too. They seem to be encouraging you to communicate with them in this particular way. His “Ladies are possibly on the top of the tactile rating. You touch them with your sight and feel like touching them by hand. You pat the sculpture and feel with the palm of your hand how differently every image responds to you.
More details
“DANAIA” is an exhibition dedicated to female charm and allure. Valencia, Spain
The official opening of the exhibition called “Danaia” will take place at HELEN RITZ GALLERY in Valencia (C/ de Quart, 10) on March 10, 2023 at 18:00.
The wedding bed in Ukrainian home always had a sacred meaning, filled with down duvets and pillows with embroidered amulets. In the midst of this temptation, the woman revealed herself as a goddess. Many artists depicted women, choosing a bed filled with duvets as the basis of the composition, which was extremely beautifully in harmony with the naked body. Zeus himself could not resist seeing this beauty and showered Danae with golden rain, as ancient Greek mythology tells us. Since then, artists have been fascinated by this plot, depicting a woman on a feather bed as the personification of beauty, seduction and harmony. We see this action even on the ancient vases of Greece and in medieval times and later in the famous masterpieces of Titian, Rembrandt, Velázquez, Shevchenko, Manet, Klimt, Picasso.
“I also have dedicated a series of my works in sculpture to women on duvets. Fascinated by the wisdom of our charming women, captured by the plastic volumes of down duvets, I created a series of sculptural works to this exceptionally attractive phenomenon from the aesthetic point of view in the erotic and spiritual culture of our people…” Vasyl Byk shared his impressions about the series of works “Danaya”. Erotica of Ukraine – Pyramids of pillows, Down duvets.
You can also buy sweatshirts and T-shirts with art prints in the gallery- graphic design and development by Khrystyna Fedorko. All proceeds from the sale will go to the “Dobrodiy Club” Charity Fund, which actively supports children during the war in Ukraine.
The exhibition will last until March 31, 2023.
Art charity: helping Ukrainian children during the war
As part of the exhibitions of the Ukrainian sculptor Vasyl Byk in the HELEN RITZ GALLERY in Valencia, from February 14 to March 19, 2023, there is a charity sale of sweatshirts and T-shirts with art prints – designed by Khrystyna Fedorko based on sketches of works by sculptor Vasyl Byk.
The address of the gallery is C/ de Quart, 10, Valencia.
Price: sweatshirt €89, T-shirt €59.
Shipping throughout Europe.
You can order through the gallery's Instagram @helenritz.gallery or directly in the gallery.
All profits from the sale will go to the “Dobrodiy Club” Charity Fund, which actively supports children during the war in Ukraine. Namely,we want to support the “Warm up” project, the focus of that project is to send the warming up tools for the children in deoccupied zones who are on the edge of the humanitarian crisis. Our aim is to collect minimum 1000 EUR.
The Charity Fund “Dobrodiy Club” is an Ukrainian charity organization that has been helping children since 2011. The fund was officially registered in 2016. Maria Artemenko is the founder and manager on a volunteer basis. In peacetime, the main focus of the foundation's activities is education and the mentoring program.
During the war, the Charity Club helps children in two ways:
URGENT ASSISTANCE FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN who are on the verge of survival (food products, basic hygiene products for children, baby food). The fund receives thousands of requests from small towns and villages of Ukraine, where there are no volunteer centers, people have nowhere to get help and get a job.
CHILDHOOD SUPPORT DURING THE WAR. The war in Ukraine took away from children many things that brought them happiness – home, school, games, clubs, friends and even family. To help bring back the joy of childhood, the Kindness Club organizes free creative classes for children and teenagers, art therapy, etc. And also helps to arrange areas for creativity and learning in shelters.
We accept donations on cash or online bank transfer to Monobank.
Personal exhibition on sacred themes “Virgen Ukrainiana” – photo report. Valencia, Spain
I am grateful to everyone who visited the HELEN RITZ GALLERY (Valencia, C/ de Quart, 10) on February 14, 2023 for the official opening of my sacred theme exhibition entitled “Virgen Ukrainiana”. There is a link to event photo report below.
The exhibition lasts until February 24, 2023. I invite everyone who wants to talk about the spiritual and enjoy my works and will be glad to see you from 12.00 to 17.00 (except Monday) at gallery.
See you soon!
“Virgen Ukrainiana” – an exhibition on sacred themes in Valencia, Spain
On February 14, 2023, the HELEN RITZ GALLERY in Valencia (C/ de Quart, 10) will host the official opening of “Virgen Ukrainiana” sacred theme exhibition of the Ukrainian sculptor Vasyl Byk. We invite everyone to plunge into creator's spiritual world.
«Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death»
Vasyl Byk's works on spiritual themes are the echo of the sacred vibrations from his childhood. For the exhibition in Spain, the artist selected sculptures based on the spiritual life of a person, his holy feelings for his mother, and especially for the Mother of the Savior.
“The integrity of the human worldview depends on a complete comprehensive picture of the universe. And only through spirituality we can bring a person closer to the being that God placed in him. In this difficult times for Ukraine and the rest of the world, a person should motivate himself to search for harmony and order in earthly life…”, Vasyl Byk shared his thoughts on the spiritual.
In the gallery, you will be able to get a hoodie with an art print – graphic design and development by Khrystyna Fedorko based on a sketch of one of the works of sculptor Vasyl Byk. All the profit from the sale will go to the “Klub Dobrodiyiv” Charity Fund, which actively supports children during the war in Ukraine.
The exhibition will last until February 24, 2023.
A charity exhibition of Ukrainian artists will be held in Vienna
On December 5-9, the Volkskundemuseum in Vienna will host a charity exhibition of paintings by Ukrainian artists ArtUkraїna.
Vasyl Byk also participates in a charity campaign for the purchase of an ambulance and other medical goods for the needs of Ukraine, namely, he represents the work of the sculpture “Three” for sale.
UKRAINIAN LEBANON – documentary
“Ukrainian Lebanon” is a film-story about almost 2,000-year history of close ties between Ukraine and Lebanon. The movie is a phenomenon, discovery tape, a powerful tool in the information field, a convincing argument in the political and diplomatic arena.
Channel I-UA.TV
“The master of plastic arts – Vasyl Byk. The palette of plastics impresses with a variety of ideas and approaches”
“Culture Live” program
Watercolor and sculpture: an exhibition of works by Ukrainian artists and sculptors is ongoing in the National Reserve “Sofia Kyivska”. Vasyl Byk, sculptor and Inna Pantelemonova, artist.
Newspaper “Democratic Ukraine”, №34(23769), 28.08.2009, рage 19
Article “Spiritual Marinas”
The sense of the artist's work is in the eternal desire for harmony and beauty in the consonance of the earthly with the spiritual. The exhibition of the sculptor Vasyl Byk “Spiritual Harbors”, unfolded in the halls of the National Reserve “Sofia Kyivska”, united works from different years, made in various materials: wood, metal, stone. Vasyl Byk was born in Zhytomyr Oblast in 1958, graduated from the Ukrainian Academy of Arts (Vasyl Borodai workshop). He is the author of the memorial sign to the firefighters who died during the liquidation of the accident at the Chornobyl NPP, the memorial plaque to Oles Gonchar, participated in the restoration of the monument to Princess Olga in Kyiv. With his works, Vasyl Byk usually addresses the spiritual essence of man. The master skillfully uses the properties of each material to embody images. The marble figures of women created by him are imbued with mature calmness and a sense of self-importance, marked by monumental majesty, despite the somewhat mundane nature of their occupations: “She who picks flax”, “Milkmaid”, “Grandmother's dumplings”… Images of a mother and child (“Crowned by the Most High”) , or the carved sandstone figure of a woman with a lily, dedicated to the poetess Lina Kostenko (“Beregynya divo-kvitki”), are related in high spirituality to the examples of the early Italian Renaissance. The bronze works “Virgin Mary with her Son”, “Trinity”, “Holy Family”, “Easter Christ”, etc., are full of solemn elation. The artist saturates the Christian symbolism of their laconic perfected forms (cross, sphere, triangle) with the philosophical content of his own vision. The author successfully emphasizes the metaphorical depth of images by combining stone and bronze in the work “Eternity” (St. Anthony and St. Theodosius of Pechersk). Refined chamber works made of bronze, on the verge of symbols, reflect the naive immediacy of childhood, the fragile grace of youth: “Morning”, “Girl with a Butterfly”, “Prima”; personify the formation of the inner world (“Boy with a daisy”), high feelings of love and inspiration (“Kateryna”, “Maestro”). Charming femininity (Eve). Vasyl Byk's surprisingly warm and sincere wooden sculpture cannot fail to inspire admiration: figures of angels, the Mother of God, works dedicated to motherhood, images of children and animals. After all, wood is a material that has good energy and a warm golden-brown gamut of natural colors, which helps to better convey the artist's ideas. Sculptor Vasyl Byk affirms the idea of indivisibility of spirituality and beauty with his work.
Nina Maksimova
Newspaper “Today”, №244(499), 29.12.1999, р. 8
Article “Joy of life in marble flesh”
Gallery “Irena” is known for discovering new names. These days, another vernissage will introduce fans of sculpture to the art of Kyiv master Vasyl Byk. He is known as the author of the memorial sign to the firefighters who died during the liquidation of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Participated in the restoration of the monument to Princess Olga. Cheerful female images in marble flesh complement the paintings made in a peculiar technique of drawing on metal.
The world of Proto-Slavic life with its light humor and irony impresses the viewer with the imagery of imagination.
Olena Nastyuk
Newspaper “Den”, №237, 29.12.1999, стор. 7
Article “Sculptural paradoxes of Vasyl Byk”
Vasyl Byk, whose works are currently exhibited in the Kyiv gallery “Irena”, is a very different and diverse sculptor. He turns to almost all sculptural materials – wood, stone, metal – at the same time subjecting them to the most unexpected creative experiment (“Winter Mood”, “Swing of Love”). He also works in a peculiar, very effective technique, which could be called metallography; the images here are created on a copper plate – sometimes by painstaking scratching (“Danaya”), and sometimes by making sense of a pattern that arose independently (“Portrait of a Koala”). At the current exhibition, the “Holy Family”, the symbolic “Advent” and “Katrya”, “Cherry”, “Milkmaid“, even “Hooligan Wind” are used almost paradoxically, reports art critic Oksana Lamonova.